Edinburgh

Edinburgh comes across in the Reddit discussions as a city people genuinely love living in, provided they can handle the cost and weather. Residents praise it as beautiful, walkable, safe, green, cultural, and small enough to feel manageable, with easy access to history, museums, galleries, pubs, parks, nature walks, and striking views. Several commenters describe it as the nicest place they have lived or say they have stayed for decades without wanting to leave.

For software engineers, the trade-off is clear: the lifestyle is stronger than the local salary ceiling. Edinburgh has a real tech market, especially around finance, banks, asset management, and larger employers, but Redditors consistently say local compensation is below London and that the market has slowed. The strongest setup is often living in Edinburgh while working remotely or mostly remotely for a London-based company.

The main warnings are practical rather than emotional. Housing is the biggest pain point, with residents calling the rental market brutal and the city expensive by Scottish standards. The centre can feel overrun by tourists, especially in summer, and winter brings short days, wind, rain, and very limited sunshine. Socially, it is welcoming but smaller than London, so dating and friendship pools are more limited and newcomers need to be proactive.

Overall, Edinburgh is a high-quality relocation choice for experienced software engineers who can secure a good salary or remote role before moving. It is not the best UK city for maximising career upside, but it is one of the strongest if you want a safe, compact, culturally rich, outdoorsy city with a strong sense of place.